The Red Devils are looking to appoint a permanent successor to Jose Mourinho at the end of the season and had made Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino their top target.

However, United are increasingly worried that the Argentine could remain in north London and are considering alternatives, including caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and even England boss Gareth Southgate.

Although Solskjaer has impressed, United bosses want a proven coach to take over (Getty)

But now the Mirror report that another manager is in the frame for the job, with United chiefs making contact with Simeone to gauge his interest.

The 48-year-old is currently in talks with Atletico over a contract extension and only has 18 months to run on his current deal, making him considerably easier to prise away than Pochettino.

The Spurs boss signed a five-year deal only last summer, while chairman Daniel Levy is likely to demand in excess of £50million to let him leave.

Simeone shares a similar style to Pochettino, both having been forged as coaches under Marcelo Bielsa, but has titles to go with it, winning La Liga and reaching two Champions League finals.

Simeone has won the Europa League twice and Atletico are currently second in La Liga (Getty)

He has hinted at leaving Atletico previously, though in relation to Inter Milan, saying: ‘I must have said it 2,000 times about my return to Inter. It will definitely happen.’

Solskjaer also has a shot at getting the United job permanently, but he will need to maintain the side’s stunning form – winning all five matches while playing attacking football – and pick up a trophy to have a serious shot.